Electric railway.



No. 699,590. Patented May fi, I902.

I A. A. STOLLE. ELECTRIC RAILWAY. (Application filed. Oct. 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

E Me /PM By A ziomeys,

UNtrnn Sta'rns PATENT DFFICE.

ALBERT A. STOLLE, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SIPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,590, dated May 6, 1902.

Application filed October 22, 1901. serial No. 79,512. (No model.)

To [tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. SToLLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

In electric railways built according to the underground-trolley systems at present in use there is always a gap in the conductors at points where two lines cross each other. The cars are carried across these gaps by starting some distance back of the gap and acquiring sufficient momentum to go across, the carswitch being then turned off, so that the car is carried across by a flying start. This is objectionable for several reasons. At night the break in the currentcauses the lights in the car to go out. Much time is also lost in practically stopping the car some distance before getting to the crossing and then having to wait until the street is clear to go across with a great speed. It is difficult to remedy this matter. The contact-shoes of the plows now in common use cannot well be made longer because of the difficulty which would be met with in going around curves.

According to my invention 1 provide an improvement whereby a gap in a conductor such as described though normally open to permit the passage of a crossing car may be closed upon the approach of a car or during the passage of a car across such gap, so as to avoid the disadvantages above pointed out.

My invention provides also mechanism having various other features of advantage, as

specified hereinafter in detail.

v Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a plan, partly in section, of a system of conductors of the type common in underground-trolley roads to which one form of my improvement is applied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the hook shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of a modified form of hook.

My invention provides means for closing a gap, as above explained, which comprises a movable bridge-piece and means for moving the same into position to form a connection across said gap, so that a car may continue its movement as if' there were no gap at all. Preferably the movement of the bridge-piece is automatic, taking place just as a car is passing over thegap or just previous to such passage of acar. Preferably, also, the operation of the bridge-piece is accomplished by a member fixed to the car--such, for example, as the contact member or shoe of the plow now ordinarily in use. After the passage of the car across the gap the bridge-piece may be automatically returned to its original position. The bridge-piece which I provide may alone entirely close the gap by forming a complete connection between the parts of the conductor on opposite sides of the gap, or myinvention embraces equally a construction in which the gap is reduced to such a size that the contact member carried by the car may itself complete the circuit between the two parts of the conductor. The construction and arrangement of the bridge-piece may also be varied considerably as well as the mechanism for operating the same.

Referring to the particular embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, A represents a conductor which may consist of an ordinary T-bar having a vertical side face adapted to receive a contact member from the car and which is in two parts separated by a gap at the point where similar conductors of a crossing line meet it. The supports for the conductor, as well as the adjacent parts of the conduit in which it is ordinarily carried, are omitted for'the sake of clearness; The bridge-piece for bridging this gap is preferably a straight strip 13, of any suitable conducting material, which extends backward some distance from the gap, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the rear portion of which is slidably connected on one part of the conductor A-as, for example, by flanged antifriction guide-rollers 0, running on the upper and lower edges of the conductor A. The bridge-piece is held normally away from the gap, so as to permit the passage of a crossing car, preferably by means of'a weight, such as D, movingup and down in a pit E in the center of the conduit and connected by a chain F with the rear end of the bridge-piece. In systems employing a pair of opposite conductors A and A, Fig. 1,

one carrying the outgoing and the other the the bridge-piece is a projecting member,

preferably a hook, attached directly to the bridge-piece in position to be engaged by the contact-shoe carried bythe car, so that as the contact member crosses the gapit remains in engagement with the bridge-piece, carrying the latter along with it, and thus eontinues in connection with the conductor. It is advisable to arrange this hook so that it shall not only be automatically engaged by the shoe of acar moving in the usual direction and shall be automatically released from such shoe after it has served its purpose in bridging the gap in the conductor until the shoe passes across the gap, but also it should be arranged to be automatically withdrawn from vthe path of a car moving in the opposite direction, as it is sometimes necessary even in double-track roads for cars to move backward; Such a hook is shown at K, and may be jconnected to the bridge-piece B in any suitable manner. As shown, the hook K is, Fig. 6, rigidly fastened to a shaft L, vertirally arranged in bearings M at a point preferably intermediate the ends of the bridge I piece and near to its forward end.

The hook K is normally pressed back into a recess N of the bridge-piece by means of a spring O,Which bears against an arm P, Fig. 5, which has a shoulder bearing against a pin Q on the shaft L, so that as the arm P is pressed outward by the spring 0 the hook K is pressed inward, bringing the parts normally in the dotted-line position at the right of the gap in Fig. 1. When the shoe R, moving to the left in Fig. 1, strikes the arm P," the inward pressure on this arm forces out the hook K, which catches shoe moving in the backward direction.

onto the front end of the shoe, whereby the bridge-piece is carried with the shoe across the gap. For forcing the hook K out as the arm P is pressed inward there is preferably a spring connection between the two, such as the spring S, which normally holds the arm P in the position shown in Fig. 5 with respect to the shaft L of the book, but permits the arm P to be moved inward against the pressure of the spring S if there is any resistance to outward movement of the hook K. The groove T in the hub of the arm P permits the necessary movement of the shaft L. This function is especially useful in the case of a The shoe will strike the arm P and press it inward before it has entirely passed the hook K, so that both the hook K and the arm P will be pressed inward at the same time and the spring S will yield accordingly. I may provide also an automatic means for withdrawing the hook K from the shoe of a forwardly-moving car after the gap has been bridged. For this purpose the shaft L may be provided with an arm U, preferably at its lower end, and extending under the conductor A. The conductor is then provided with a downwardlyextending stop V, located at a suitable point thereon and extending into the path of the arm U, so that as the arm U strikes the stop V the shaft L is turned until the hook K is withdrawn within the face of the bridge-piece B and out of engagement with the shoe. The shoe then passeson and the weight D automatically withdraws the bridge-piece to its normal position, leaving the gap clear for the passing of crossing cars. With the form of hook shown it is necessary to cut out theOondoctors A at the-points indicated, as shown best in Fig. 4.

A different form of hook which may serve the same purpose as that above described is shown in Fig. 7. In this case the hook K is normally held in position to be engaged by the contact-shoe R, the chain F of the retracting-weight being directly connected to an arm P of the hook for this purpose. A shoe moving in the backward direction strikes the inclined forward face of the hook and throws it backward far enough to permit the passage of the shoe, the shoe being mounted to yield also laterally. The arm U and stop V for withdrawing the hook from engagement with the shoe may be the same as for the hook shown in Fig. 1. With either of the forms of hook shown it is preferable to have the ends of the bridge-piece B beveled, so'that the contact member of the car shall shift easily from the conductor A to the bridge-piece 13. It is not essential, however, that the hook or other engaging means be at the forward or at an intermediate point of the bridge-piece, as it may be at the rear end and still be within my invention.

The operation of the separate elements of the device having been described, the operation of the whole will be clear. As the car moves in the direction from right to left in Fig. 1 its contact-shoe first rides up on the beveled end of the bridge-piece B and slides along the bridge-piece until it strikes the arm P of the hook, which throws out the hook K and engages the shoe. The continued movement of the shoe carries the bridge-piece B across the gap, remaining of course in contact with it until it has entirely crossed the gap, when the hook is released by the action of the arm U on the stop V and the shoe rides over the forward end of the bridge-piece and onto the conductor. The weight D then acts to pull the bridge-piece back to its normal position. In case a car moves backward the shoe rides up on the forward beveled end of the bridge-piece. The hook K is normally out of its path, but it strikes the arm P, which yields against the force of the springs nately from one side to the other of the gap.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail specific embodiments of my invention, yet it is to be understood that I am not limited to the specific forms shown and described; but that various modificationsof the details and arrangements of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art of electric railways without departure from my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination withaconductorof one line having a vertical side face adapted to receive a contact member and having a gap at the point where it crosses the other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridge-piece supported upon one part of said conductor, extending along the vertical contact face thereof, and having a similar side contactface and means for movingthe same into or out of position to form a connection across said gap.

2. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination with a conductor of one line having a vertical side face adapted to receive a contact member and having a gap at the point where it crosses the other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridgepiece supported upon one part of said conductor, extending along the vertical contactface thereof and having a similar side contact-face and meansxautomatically moving the same into or out of position to form a connection across said gap as a car passes over said crossing.

3. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination with a conductor of one line having a gap at the point where it crosses the other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridge-piece slidably connected to said conductor at one side of said gap, and means automatically moving the same into positionto form a connection across said gap as a car passes over said crossing, and means for automatically returning said bridge-piece to its original position.

a. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination with a conductor of one line having a gap at the point where it crosses the other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridge-piece slidably connected to said conductor atone side of said gap, and means attached directly to the bridge-piece in position to be engaged by the contact member of'a car for moving said bridge-piece with said contact member to continue the connection of said contact member with the conductor as said contact member crosses said gap.

5. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination with a conductorof one line'h'aving a gap at the point where it crosses the other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridge-piece slidably connected to said conductor at one side of said gap, and means attached directly to saidbridge-p'iece in position to be engaged by a car for moving said'bridge-piece to a position to form aconnection across said gap as a car passes over said crossing, and means for automatically returning said bridge-piece to its original position.

6. In an electric-railway crossing, the combination with a conductor of one line having a gap at the point where it crossesthe other line, of means for closing said gap including a movable bridge-piece slidably connected to said conductor at one side of said-gap, and means connected to said bridge-piece adapted to be engaged by a car for moving saidbridgepiece to a position to form a connectionacross said gap as a car passes oversaid crossing,

means for automatically disengaging said bridge-piece when the-car has passed said crossing, and means for automatically retnrm ing said bridge-piece to its original position.

7. In electric railways, means for closinga gap in a conductor comprising a movable bridge-piece, a projecting member connected to said bridge-piece, and means whereby said projecting member is automatically engaged by a car moving in one direction and withdrawn from the path of, a car moving in the opposite direction. 7

8. In electric railways, means for closinga gap in a conductor comprising a movable bridge-piece, a hook connected to said bridgepiece, and means whereby said hook is automatically engaged by a car moving in one direction and withdrawn from the path of a car moving in the opposite direction.

9. In electric railways, the combination with a conductor A adapted to receive a con tact member on its vertical sideface and formed intwo parts separated by a gap, of a bridge-piece supported upon one part of said conductor extending along the vertical contact-face thereof and adapted to be moved in a direction to close saidgap.

10. In electric railways, the combination with a conductor A adapted to receive a contact member on its vertical side face and formed in two parts separated by' a gap, of a bridge-piece supported slidably upon one of said parts extending along the vertical contact-face thereof and adapted to be slid across said gap to close the same. 7

11. In electric railways, the combination with a pair of opposite conductors A A each adapted to receive a contact member on its vertical side face and formed in two parts separated by a gap, of a bridge-piece suppiece supported upon said conductors, ex-

7 I havingvertical side faces between and in contact with which the contact member of the car travels and which have gaps at the point where they cross the other line, of means for closing said gaps including a movable bridge tending along the vertical contact-faces thereof and having similar side contact-faces and means for moving the same into'or out of position to form connections across-said gaps.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ALBERT A. STOLLE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F..WALLAoE, FRED WHITE; 

